The 2021 men’s T20 World Cup will begin from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates instead of India which is facing the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final match of the 16-team tournament is set to be played on November 14, ESPNcricinfo reported on Friday.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to inform the International Cricket Council about the development officially, it has planned to hold the event in the middle east.
As per the reported plan, the first round of the T20 World Cup will be split across two groups and played in the UAE and Oman.
After the completion of round 1, the Super 12s phase, comprising 30 matches, will start from October 24. The Super 12s, where two groups with each comprising six teams, will be played at three venues in the UAE – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This will be followed by three playoff games – the two semi-finals and the final.
Earlier this month, the ICC directed BCCI to submit its final decision about hosting the event by the end of June.
Last year, the ICC postponed the 2020 World Cup, which was to originally host by Australia, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and decided India would host the tournament in 2021 and Australia in 2022.
However, the deteriorating situation of pandemic in India forced the BCCI to change the venue.
T20 World Cup could be moved out of India as COVID-19 crisis worsens
